Digital Commons Network^™

20-Year Inflation-Adjusted Medicare Reimbursements (Years: 2000-2020) For Common Lumbar And Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease Procedures, Pedram Honarpisheh, Samantha L Parker, Christopher R Conner, Sami Anjum, Jessica R Stark, John C Quinn, John M Caridi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Reimbursement trends for common procedures have persistently declined over the past 2 decades. Spinal instrumentational and fusion procedures are increasingly utilized and have increased in clinical complexity, yet longitudinal inflation-adjusted data for Medicare reimbursements of these procedures have not been evaluated.

METHODS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool was used to extract Medicare reimbursements for the 5 most common spinal procedures and associated instrumentations from 2000-2020. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes include 22551, 22600, 22633, 63030, and 63047 as well as instrumentation CPT codes 22840 and 22842-6. The nominal values were adjusted …

Association Between Emergency Medical Service Agency Volume And Mortality In Trauma Patients, David S Silver, Jason L Sperry, Jamison Beiriger, Liling Lu, Francis X Guyette, Stephen Wisniewski, Ernest E Moore, Martin Schreiber, Bellal Joseph, Chad T Wilson, Bryan Cotton, Daniel Ostermayer, Erin E Fox, Brian G Harbrecht, Mayur Patel, Joshua B Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of annual trauma patient volume on outcomes for emergency medical services (EMS) agencies.

Background: Regionalization of trauma care saves lives. The underlying concept driving this is a volume-outcome relationship. EMS are the entry point to the trauma system, yet it is unknown if a volume-outcome relationship exists for EMS.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospective cohort including 8 trauma centers and 20 EMS air medical and metropolitan ground transport agencies. Patients 18 to 90 years old with injury severity scores ≥9 transported from the scene were included. Patient and …

When Local Meets Global: Siberian Khanty Religious Traditions In The Everchanging World, Elena Glavatskaya

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article focuses on the ethnic history and religious traditions of the Khanty (formerly known as Ostiaks), a Finno-Ugric people dwelling in the north of Western Siberia and its responses to the global influences. With 40 other widely dispersed small peoples of the Russian North and Siberia, they are classified as aboriginal small-numbered people of the North and Siberia. The last three decades of their ethnic history was marked by a stormy process of ethnic and religious mobilization started in the context of the environmental crisis of the 1980-90s, which threatened their traditional land use. This article aims to analyze …

Persecution Of Clerics In Shida Kartli During The First Years Of Soviet Occupation, Giorgi Sosiashvili Prof. Dr., Aleksandre Mgebrishvili Prof. Dr.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the profound impact of Bolshevik repression on Georgian society following the establishment of the Soviet regime in 1921, focusing particularly on the Orthodox Church and other religious communities. The Bolshevik government implemented a series of oppressive measures, including the closure of over a thousand churches and the systematic persecution of clergy, drastically reducing their numbers from thousands to just a few dozen. Key documents, such as Decree #22, exemplify the state’s efforts to strip the Church of legal rights and property, thereby eradicating its influence. The article highlights the formation of the "Union of the Godless," a …

The "Upside-Down" River: Trends In Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, And Microcystin Concentration In The Klamath Basin, 2010-2021, Kayla M. Fitzpatrick

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Klamath River tends to experience impaired upstream water quality, which improves downstream. Although this consensus is accepted, an updated spatiotemporal analysis of certain water quality parameters has not been conducted since 2017. With four of the Klamath River’s dams slated for removal by the end of 2024, it is critical to have an updated assessment of current water quality conditions from which to compare conditions following dam removal. In this study, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and microcystin data from 2010-2021 were analyzed to determine concentration trends from Link Dam to the Klamath River Estuary.

Concentrations of TN …

Basal Topography And Carbon Accumulation Rate Of A Rare Northern California Coastal Fen, Sarah Leidinger

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Increasingly, the importance of peatlands as biodiversity hotpots, year-round water storage features, and significant carbon sinks are being recognized. Despite this, they are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems globally. While some peatland conservation and restoration initiatives are being developed, a greater understanding of small peatlands is needed to make management decisions. This study aims to determine the timing of peat formation, peat volume, and carbon accumulation rates of the Conspicuous Scoop Fen, a small (2.1-acre) fen near Bridgeville, California (~840 m.a.s.l.). During the summers of 2022 and 2023, I collected 39 m of peat cores at 14 sampling locations. …

An Intersectional Analysis Of Findings From Humboldt County: The California Cannabis Worker And Equity Survey, Jennifer A. Smith

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study explores how intersectional axes of identity, particularly gender and race, shape the experiences of precarity and resistance among cannabis workers in Humboldt County amid the industry's ongoing transition to legalization. Drawing on survey data from a diverse sample of 58 cannabis workers, the analysis revealed complex dimensions of precarity, including structural, physical, socioemotional, and material issues. Findings indicate that BIPOC workers, particularly men, face heightened structural precarity compared to their white counterparts, while the intersection of race and gender exacerbated vulnerabilities for BIPOC women and beyond binary individuals. Despite these challenges, workers demonstrated resilience and advocacy, emphasizing their …

Determining Child Care Market Rates In The State Of Tennessee [Fiscal Year 2024], Tennessee. Department Of Human Services

Market Rate Surveys

This report compiles information collected by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Human Services to determine the most appropriate Tennessee-specific structure for estimating child care market rates.

Intercropping Maize–Faba Bean Reduced Yield And Economiclosses Caused By Busseola Fusca (Fuller) In Semiarid Area, Tesfay Gidey, Daniel Hagos Berhe, Emiru Birhane, Haftu Abrha, Yirga Guf

All Grantees Publications

Climate change is impacting the sustainability of indigenous tree species. However, the impacts of climate change on African olivetree (Olea europaea subspecies Cuspidata) are less-explored. Tis study, conducted in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, aims to de-termine the impacts of climate change on the current and future distributions of the species. A total of 225 presence points andabundance of O. europaea within 20 m × 20 m plots at each location were collected. Additional input variables, such as the 19bioclimatic variables, 3 topographic variables, and Pedologic data, were used. Maxent software was employed to predict thedistribution of the species under current and …

Economic Benefits And Uses Of Indigenous Seasonal Weather Forecasts In Zimbabwe, Joseph Manzvera, Kwabena Asomanin Anaman, Akwasi Mensah-Bonsu, Alfred Barimah

All Grantees Publications

This study presents a seminal contribution regarding the economic value of indigenous seasonal weather forecasts in Zimbabwe. Many farmers (58%) use indigenous seasonal weather forecasts to make maize farming decisions such as selecting suitable varieties. The main indicators used for indigenous seasonal weather forecasts are flowering and fruition of specific trees. Based on travel cost analysis, which incorporates a multi-purpose visit scenario, the study establishes the economic importance of indigenous seasonal weather forecasts with a consumer surplus of US$1,044 per year among the 290 farmers using the forecasts. There is therefore a need to integrate indigenous weather forecasts into national …

In Abundance An Analysis Of The Thriving Landscape Of Collective Giving In The U.S., Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy At Grand Valley State University, Philanthropy Together, Adriana Loson-Ceballos, Michael D. Layton

Research, Reports, and Publications

Philanthropy today faces many critical and complex challenges that are both uniquely urgent for our sector and grounded in wider forces beyond our control. Within this dynamic context, collective giving — a tradition observed across cultures worldwide and grounded in the ethos of community agency — has emerged as a growing force in U.S. philanthropy.

Patterns In The Tapestry: A Typology Of Collective Giving Groups, Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy At Grand Valley State University, Philanthropy Together, Isis Krause, Michael D. Layton

Research, Reports, and Publications

The collective giving movement has seen remarkable growth across the U.S. in recent years, both in participation and impact. Between 2017 and 2023, nearly 4,000 collective giving groups engaged over 370,000 members, mobilizing $3.1 billion to support various causes (Loson-Ceballos & Layton, 2024, p. 1). These figures underscore the scale and scope of this dynamic movement. While all collective giving groups share a commitment to democratic processes for mobilizing and allocating resources for social impact, their structures, composition, and practices vary widely. By understanding and appreciating these differences, we can better grasp how collective giving is transforming philanthropy and driving …

Relying On Unreliable Tech: Unchecked Police Use Of Algorithmic Technologies, Fraerman, Ali

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

In the past two decades, police forces have come to rely on algorithm-based technologies for investigative leads. Several of these technologies are unreliable. They are prone to error, misidentifying suspects, and crimes. When relied upon, they lead to false arrests and unnecessary stop-and-frisks. Yet, there is no coercive mechanism, either regulatory or judicial, that meaningfully governs the use of these algorithmic technologies in law enforcement. As a result, law enforcement agencies are free to disregard potential errors and deploy emerging technologies against communities with little recourse.

This Article looks closely at three technologies—ShotSpotter gunshot detection, facial recognition technology, and rapid …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog, 2024-2025, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2024-2025 undergraduate and graduate course catalog. Course catalogs are published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

The Next Generation, Jeremiah Chin

Articles

What would the law look like if we let children remake it? Laws govern, classify, and circumscribe children who inherit the law and its consequences. Discourses of power invoke children as rhetorical strategies to gain political favor or obviate a position—yet children are uncritically excluded from participating in the systems that control them. Children are subjected to the laws and objects of legislation, but denied the rights, autonomy, or authority to participate in the making of law and policy. Even the conceptualization of the constitutional rights of children is treated as an assumption, ill-defined and under theorized by traditional legal …

Innovative Approaches And Challenges In Brunei's Agricultural Management, Nuramalina Manshor, Ulaganathan Subramanian

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The management and development in agriculture attract agricultural economic science for the pricing, business, farm policy, and financial knowledge. It conjointly draws on plant and animal sciences for soil, seed and fertilizer information, weed control, insect management, and rationing and breeding; agricultural engineering knowledge for farmhouses, vehicles, irrigation, field drying, drainage, and management of erosions; and data on human behavior in Science and Social Science.

Wmu Roundtable On Port Energy Transition And Stakeholders Engagement, Aykut Ölçer, Fabio Ballini, Alessandro Schönborn, Monica Canepa, Anas Alamoush, Peyman Ghaforian, Natalia Calderón

Marener Reports

Shipping is the backbone of international trade. With a contribution of more than 80 per cent of cargo by volume and 70 per cent by value, it is the most efficient mode of transportation. The vital cargo it transports includes medical supplies and equipment, as well as food, energy, raw materials, and manufactured goods. At the same time, shipping contributes to approximately 3 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that is expected to rise if no action is taken to reduce emissions. The 2023 International Maritime Organization Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions sets out …

Institute For Global Health And Development : Annual 2024, Institute For Global Health And Development

IGHD Newsletters

• Message From The Director
• Workshops & Conferences
• Climate Change, Agriculture, Human Nutrition & Development in Pakistan
• What Works Climate Solutions Summit, Berlin
• IGNIT3 Consultative Workshop on Nutrition for Health Professionals
• Climate Change and Health Symposium
• Collaborating For Change
• IGHD Hosts Workshop on Research Concepts & Basic Methodology
• SDSN Pakistan Leadership Council Meeting – 2024
• AKDN Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting 2024
• Projects In the Spotlight
• Shining Light On Achievement
• Education And Capacity Building
• Team Building Activities
• Research Insights

The Very Interstate Nature Of The Internet? Establishing Uniform Requirements For Internet Transmissions Within Interstate And Foreign Commerce, Catherine Beal

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

This Comment argues that federal statutes, including the jurisdictional nexus of “transmission in interstate or foreign commerce,” should require evidence that a transmission actually traveled through interstate commerce to establish the required federal nexus. Part II of this article describes what threatening internet speech is, the development of the circuit split, and the statutory criteria at issue. Part III analyzes each side of the split and examines when statutory language permits an assumption of interstate or foreign transmission. Part III also proposes adopting a strict definition of “transmission in interstate and foreign commerce” for Internet-based speech and requiring evidence that …

Educators Remedying Linguicism Through Critical Language Awareness And Critical Trans/Multilingualism: Towards Planetary Justice, Kate Alice Garnett

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how a critical understanding of language use, language ideologies, and linguicism can influence educators’ praxis and identities. Specifically, the research explores how Critical Language Awareness (CLA) impacts educators’ praxis, their lingua-cultural identities, and their relationships with language and linguicism towards planetary justice. These inquiries were examined through participants’ involvement in a 6-week teacher educator course designed by this researcher entitled Humane Language Education. The course aimed to enable participants to analyze and address language injustices individually, communally, and globally. Unexamined language biases erode linguistic and cultural diversity, disseminate violence and discrimination, and …

Expanded Range Of Nasutitermes Callimorphus Mathews, 1977 (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), Comparison With N. Corniger (Motschulsky, 1855) And N. Ephratae (Holmgren, 1910), And Synonymy Of N. Dasyopsis Thorne, 1989 Into N. Nigriceps (Haldeman, 1854), Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The imago of N. callimorphus is described for the first time. Nasutitermes callimorphus occurs from Mexico to Paraguay. Nasutitermes callimorphus is smaller in all measurements but generally resembles its widely distributed sympatric congeners, N. corniger (Motschulsky, 1855) and N. ephratae (Holmgren, 1910). Molecular phylogenetic analysis of a portion of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and the COII mtDNA marker revealed that N. callimorphus forms a distinct clade using both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis. Unlike N. corniger and N. ephratae, N. callimorphus does not build epigeal or arboreal carton nests. We further regard N. dasyopsis Thorne, 1989 as a …

Visit North Carolina: Trail Accessibility, Hannah Caitlyn Guschel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper focuses on the perceived barriers to travel from marketing material for individuals with disabilities compared to those without disabilities and the direct impact on leisurely travel participation, particularly in outdoor spaces. Employing a cross-sectional study design encompassing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, this research investigates the experiences and transparency of trail accessibility in the state of North Carolina. Quantitative data were gathered through trail assessment accessibility checklists, while qualitative insights were obtained via in-depth interviews. The findings reveal an improved understanding of accessibility and the application of an accessibility checklist. Moreover, the study underscores the importance …

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry For Sensing Salinity And Sodicity In Glacial Northern Great Plains Soils With Machine Learning Models, Adam Devlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Saline and sodic soils are an increasing concern across the Northern Great Plains (NGP) due to factors of climate change and land management that are drawing geologically derived salts to the land surface. Traditional laboratory assessments, such as electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), are time and resource consumptive. Portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) may be a viable proximal sensing alternative, as it is able to provide elemental data in minutes, in situ or ex situ, and can directly quantify salinity-associated elements like Ca, Mg, and S. PXRF paired with predictive models has proven useful for a range of …

Lidar Remote Sensing And The Monitoring Of Brazilian Amazon Forest Structure: Tackling Issues And Finding New Possibilities, Pedro Valle De Carvalho E Oliveira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Amazon is the largest tropical forest in the world and around 60% of it is in Brazil. The amount of carbon stored in the region uncertain, the impacts of land use and climate changes are unknown, and what drives the dynamic of the forest structure is still under a heated debate. Optical remote sensing has been used for a long time to assist the monitoring of the Brazilian Amazon. However, optical remote sensing only allows a comprehensive study from the top of the forest canopy. In contrast, lidar remote sensing of forests can produce robust information regarding the canopy …

A Phenomenological Study Of Online Physical Education On Former Students’ Activity Levels And Fitness Concepts Knowledge, Jerry Veshio

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide an understanding of the perspectives of former online physical education high school students and how participation in the course affected their ability to be active post-high school and their knowledge of fitness concepts. A phenomenological design was used to guide the study’s investigation. Participants in the study were interviewed about their experiences in online physical education while in high school and how that experience currently influences their physical activity levels. Additionally, respondents described the positives and negatives of their experience in the course, specifically as it relates to the course materials, assessments, instructor …

Desert Or Mirage? An Examination Of Food Deserts In Iowa Cities, Andrew Creasey

Graduate Research Papers

Food insecurity affects millions of Americans and has been widely recognized as a significant health and economic issue. Because of this, researchers have sought to develop ways to identify areas that are prone to food insecurity, which have become known as food deserts. Food deserts have been broadly defined through a confluence of three factors: low income, a lack of vehicle access, and a predetermined distance from a healthy food retailer. But research into food deserts in Iowa is limited, and the most prominent source of information on this topic, the Food Access Research Atlas created by the U.S. Department …

Comparison Of Different Drought Monitoring Indices In Different Climatic Conditions In Iran, Samira Rahnama, Ali Shahidi, Mostafa Yaghoobzadeh, Ali Akbar Mehran

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study evaluates drought in different climate zones (Rasht, Shiraz, and Birjand) in Iran, using meteorological, agricultural, and remote sensing drought indices. For this purpose, NDVI, SAVI, and SR were extracted from Landsat images for 2002 and 2014–2020. Then, these indices were compared with the SPI, SPEI, and PDSI. The results indicate an increase in drought and a decrease in vegetation cover in the study area. In Rasht, where the vegetation cover is high, NDVI and SAVI were equal. In Shiraz and Birjand, where the soil effect is more significant, the distance between these two indices increased, which shows that …

Towards A Context-Contingent Stage Theory Of Entrepreneurial Opportunity: Introducing The Petii Model, Xiaohong Iris Quan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Understanding opportunity is a crucial aspect of entrepreneurship research. Existing studies have extensively examined individual factors in facilitating entrepreneurial activities such as new venture creation. Although there are some discussions on contextual factors, few connect context with the origin of entrepreneurship—opportunity. Recognising the objectivity of entrepreneurial opportunity, this theoretical article first proposes two types of opportunities—innovative opportunity and imitative opportunity—to understand the nature of opportunity. It then proposes a systematic framework—the PETII (Population, Economic status, Technological advancement, Industry life cycle, Institutions) model—to analyse the role of context in the distribution of opportunity. Furthermore, it examines how both objective contextual factors …

Late-Arriving Votes And Electoral Fraud: A Natural Experiment And Regression Discontinuity Evidence From Bolivia, Diego Escobari, Gary A. Hoover

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This paper uses a unique data set and a natural experiment to test if electoral fraud can exist in late-arriving votes. On the night of the 2019 Bolivian elections, the official vote counting system that was expected to publish the results real-time, suddenly stopped. When it resumed, the results had flipped. We estimate several difference-in-differences specifications using a 2016 referendum and the votes of other political parties. We find that the extent of the fraud is 2.51% of the valid votes, sufficient to change the outcome of the election. Our results are robust to polling-station-level shocks common across 2019 and …

Economic Growth Before And After The Fiscal Stimulus Of 2008–2009: The Role Of Institutional Quality And Government Size, André Varella Mollick, Andre Coelho Vianna

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Governments implemented fiscal stimulus packages to alleviate the global financial crisis of 2007–2009. Using annual data from 1996 to 2019, we investigate economic growth in a large sample of countries for pre-and post-Global Financial Crisis years. Our approach analyzes the interaction between institutional quality and government size (government expenditures as share of GDP), reinforced by threshold estimations. We document that economies react to government size depending on the quality of the institutions in question. First, fixed effects models indicate higher institutional quality has positive effects on growth, while government size—and its interactions with institutional quality—has negative effects. Second, the coefficients …